Cross Border Services

Thank you for considering bringing your international production to Vancouver, and we look forward to welcoming you to British Columbia.

Please remember that BC and the City of Vancouver are incredibly popular for filming, and it is important that all productions have a successful experience and enjoy their time while filming here.

The documents below have been prepared to help provide information on how to do business in British Columbia. The International Production Guide is intended to offer advice on what realistically can be done when filming in Greater Vancouver and the surrounding regions of BC. Remember that some of the rules may differ from those you are familiar with.

The Canada Border Services Agency has jurisdiction over the Temporary Importation of Goods for Motion Picture Production.

Goods entering Canada temporarily for use on a Motion Picture Production may qualify for customs duty-free entry and Goods and Sales Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) relief for a period up to 12 months. Requests for extensions of the temporary importation period beyond 12 months may be granted.

As of September 29, 2016, eTA's apply to those who are visa-exempt non-US foreign nationals, and arriving in Canada by air or transiting through Canada. Some workers coming to Canada may require an eTA along with their work permit.

ETA applications:

cost $7

can be done online

are electronic, passport stamp not necessary

are valid for up to 5 years (or upon passport expiry, whichever comes first)

Until 29 September 2016, an eTA “grace period” is in effect, meaning those who should have eTA but do not are still being allowed to board their flights to Canada, provided they have valid travel documentation.

Service Canada will set in motion their application for a Work Permit for each foreign worker.

SERVICE CANADA

Fax: +1 604 666 7731
Telephone: +1 604 666 7731

Toll Free: +1 800 367 5693

PLEASE DO NOT PHONE SERVICE CANADA UNLESS IT'S AN URGENT MATTER.

NOTE: Be sure to fax LMIA applications before 3:00PM PST because that is Service Canada's cut-off time to register processing fees. If the application comes in after that, they can't process it until the next day.

Fridays are always the busiest day for LMIA applications, since many production personnel seem to enter Canada on the weekend. Service Canada recommends faxing in applications before Friday to make sure they have time to process them.

As of February 3rd, 2016, Service Canada no Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) and work permits are no longer required for essential foreign personnel coming into Canada to work on commercials. This change is only for foreign-funded advertising campaigns and some restrictions still apply.

For more information on work permit exemptions with the government of Canada, please click here.

To connect with local commercial producers for more information, click here.